The Royal British Mint

The Royal Mint in London is one of the world’s foremost minting facilities, as well as holding the position of being one of the oldest operating mint facilities in the entire world. Royal Mint products are highly coveted for their government-backed purity and their impressive designs. The Royal Mint is responsible for some of the most popular investment and collectible coin programs on the market today, including the official bullion coin of the nation as well as an emerging lunar-themed coin series of its own.

Silver.com proudly carries a wide range of Royal Mint products, from the famed Britannia coins to the latest Queen’s Beast collection. Explore the history of the Royal Mint and today’s most fascinating designs from this British institution!

About the Royal Mint

Originally founded as the London Mint in 886, the British Royal Mint is one of the oldest operating facilities in the world. Throughout its history, the Royal Mint has produced some of the most widely used coins in the world, due in large part to the size and scope of the former British Empire. Coins from the Royal Mint were once used from North America to Europe, Australia, Africa, and Southeast Asia.

Today, the Royal Mint remains one of the foremost facilities in the world. The most popular product from the mint is the sovereign Britannia coin. On the reverse face of each coin is the image of the mythical Britannia, a goddess from Roman times who was believed to have watched over the nation. She is featured on each Silver Britannia coin with a trident in one hand and a shield bearing the Union Jack flag of the United Kingdom, her eyes constantly fixed on the English Channel separating the British Isles from mainland Europe.

Silver Britannia Coins

The modern-day official bullion coin of Britain, these coins feature an image of the Roman deity Britannia, who served as a protector for the British Isles. Introduced in 1997, these coins were originally available with .958 fine silver but are now produced in .999 pure silver. The 2017 release of these silver coins marks the milestone 20th anniversary for the silver version of Britain’s official bullion coin, and the modern highlights of these coins include:

The Silver Britannia coin has had the same design concepts on the obverse and reverse faces of the coin since their introduction in 1997. The only changes ever to come to the program occurred recently with the introduction of an updated portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the coin’s obverse side. Further details include:

On the obverse of all 2017 1 oz British Silver Britannia Coins you’ll find the newest portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. Her Majesty’s effigy is updated on occasion to reflect her current age on the throne. A new designed debuted on 2016 issue Royal Mint coins from Jody Clark, marking the fifth generation depiction of the Queen.

The reverse of the British Silver Britannia includes the image of the goddess Britannia, famed guardian of Britain. She is depicted standing along the island’s southern coast, looking out across the English Channel with her trident (to control the seas) as she holds a shield in her other hand to guard the nation that bears the Union Jack insignia.

Gold Britannia Coins

Featuring the same designs as the silver version, the official gold bullion coin of the United Kingdom was introduced in 1987 with a gold content of .917 fine gold. Since 2013, the coins have been struck as 24-karat pure gold coins with .9999 fine gold content. Like its silver counterpart, the Gold Britannia coins are celebrating a milestone in 2017 having reached their 30th anniversary of release. Highlights of the modern Gold Britannia include:

Ships in an individual plastic capsule, mint tube of 10 coins, or box of 100.

Contains 1 Troy oz of .9999 pure gold in BU condition.

Face value of 100 (GBP) is fully backed by Britain’s government.

As the Gold Britannia is from the same program as the Silver Britannia, and was in fact the design basis for the latter, the gold coins in this collection have the same design concepts as the silver coins and have also only seen changes in the design of the obverse portrait of Queen Elizabeth II over time. Details include:

On the reverse of the 2017 1 oz British Gold Britannia Coin you’ll find the image of Britannia, which has featured on the coins unchanged for the last 30 years. Britannia originally featured on sovereign coins in the early 18th century at the formation of the United Kingdom between England and Scotland.

The obverse of all British Gold Britannia Coins includes the new fifth-generation depiction of Queen Elizabeth II. Her Majesty’s effigy was last updated in 1998 by Ian Rank-Broadley, but in 2015 the Royal Mint unveiled a new image of the Queen from 33-year-old Jody Clark, the youngest engraver and artist ever to complete her portrait.

Unique Britannia Coins

Like other coin programs, there are occasionally opportunities for investors and collectors to nab the Gold Britannia or Silver Britannia with unique design finishes that increase the collectible value of the original product. These alterations include those done by authorized third-party mints, such as gilded finishes and colorization on Silver Britannias, as well as privy marks celebrating the lunar calendar.

Silver.com carries a variety of these products, including the following three options:

2016 Colorized Silver British Britannia: On the reverse of each of these 2016 1 oz Colorized Silver British Britannia Coins you’ll find the image of Britannia with beautiful colorization added to the design. Her figure is cloaked in a white robe, while her Corinthian helm gleams in a beautiful golden hue. Her shield, with which she defends the isles, bears the red, white, and blue of the Union Jack.

2016 Gold British Britannia Monkey Privy Edge: On the reverse face of the coin is the image of Britannia, fabled guardian of the United Kingdom. She is featured wearing a Corinthian helmet, holding a trident in her right hand to control the seas, and a shield with the Union Jack emblazoned on it in her left hand. Along the milled edge of these Gold Britannias you’ll find a privy mark honoring the Year of the Monkey on the Chinese Lunar Calendar. The first privy mark on the milled edge of a Britannia occurred in 2013 on the silver variant, and came to the Gold Britannia in 2014 for the Year of the Horse, which makes this the third version for the gold coin.

2016 Silver British Britannia – Gilded: Each of the 2016 Silver British Britannia coins available from Silver.com has a stunning gilded finish. Gilded coins are standard silver bullion coins with a layer of 24-karat gold apply to one or both primary design sets. In this case, the gilded finish is featured only on the image of Britannia.

Shengxiao Series

Launched in 2014, the Shengxiao Series from the Royal Mint is an increasingly popular series celebrating the Chinese Lunar Calendar. Each year, the coins in the program feature the new animal in the Zodiac represent a particular year on the lunar calendar. Coins released to date in the Shengxiao Series include the Year of the Horse, Year of the Goat, and Year of the Monkey Silver coins. All Royal Mint silver coins consist of .999 pure silver, with face values listed in Great British Pounds (£ GBP), and share common obverse imagery of Queen Elizabeth II’s right-profile image. Gold coins from the Royal Mint in this collection feature .9999 fine gold content.

Coins released prior to the 2016 year of issue in this collection feature Ian Rank-Broadley’s 1998 image of the Queen, while post-2016 coins have the new Jody Clark design released in 2015. All reverse designs in the Shengxiao Series from the Royal Mint were designed by British-Chinese artist Wuon-Gean Ho, and each one is completely unique from other lunar coin series produced at other mints around the globe. Currently, Silver.com has the following releases and designs available:

2016 Silver British Monkey Coin: On the reverse side of the 2016 1 oz Silver British Monkey coin is the image of a pair of monkeys in a tree. In the foreground, one monkey is featured as it begins to leap from one branch to another, while the monkey in the background is hanging from a branch by its arms. Bears a face value of £2 (GBP) backed by the government of the United Kingdom. Ships to you in an individual plastic flip, Mint tubes of 25, or Monster Boxes of 500.

2016 Gold British Monkey Coin: On the reverse of each coin is the Year of the Monkey design from the Royal Mint. In it, a pair of monkey is visible dangling and swinging amongst the trees. In the background, one monkey is visible dangling while a monkey in the foreground prepares to leap from one branch to the next. Face value of £100 (GBP) is fully backed by the United Kingdom. Ships to you in an individual plastic flip, Mint tube of 25, or Monster Box of 500.

2017 Silver British Rooster Coin: The reverse side of each 2017 1 oz Silver British Rooster Coin includes the unique Year of the Rooster design, and bears engravings that read “Year of the Rooster,” “2017,” and include the Chinese symbol for rooster. Ships in a plastic capsule, mint tube of 25, or sealed Monster Box of 500 coins. Face value of £2 (GBP) is fully backed by the United Kingdom.

2017 Gold British Rooster Coin: The reverse of the 2017 Gold British Rooster includes the all-new Year of the Rooster design from Ho and the Royal Mint. This year’s design features a rooster in the center of the field, along with engravings that identify the year of issue, name of the issue, and the Chinese symbol for rooster. Ships to you in a protective plastic capsule, mint tubes of 10, or sealed Monster Boxes of 100. Issued a face value of £100 (GBP) by the British government.

Queen’s Beast Collection

This exciting series of silver and gold coins from the Royal Mint marks the newest release of numismatic or bullion coins from the mint. The British Queens Beast Coin program is a planned 10-design series that features new designs for each of the animals featured in the coronation ceremony of Queen Elizabeth II. In total, the British Queens Beast coin series features a 1 oz gold coin, a 1/4 oz gold coin, and the Royal Mint’s first-ever 2 oz silver bullion coin.

First in the collection is the 2016 Queen’s Beast Lion coin, available in all three versions mentioned above. In the British monarchy’s heraldic shield, the lion plays a significant role. The position of the lion determines the mood and attitude of the monarch at the time, or in special situations. For example, when the lion is featured in a passant position it is considered to be walking and is shown with just its right fore paw raised off the ground.

Similar to the Britannia program, the Queen’s Beast Lion coins feature the same obverse and reverse designs on the coins regardless of silver or gold content. Design specifics are as follows:

The reverse face of the 2016 British Queen’s Beast Coins depicts the heraldic shield of Britain with a lion in rampant position behind it. When the lion is rampant, it is depicted standing on its hind legs with both fore paws raised, and is indicative of the monarchy’s readiness to strike its enemies. You’ll find engravings of “Lion of England” on this side, as well as the weight, metal content, purity, and year of issue for the coin.

On the obverse is the all-new right-profile portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. The fifth version of Her Majesty’s effigy on British coins, this portrait was created in 2015 by Jody Clark. At just 33 years old, Clark is the youngest artist to create a depiction of Her Majesty, and he also created the “Lion of England” design on the reverse.

This planned 10-coin program continues in 2017 with the release of the 2017 British Queen’s Beast Griffin Coins. For the second release the Royal Mint introduces the mythical Griffin. With the head, wings, and front paws of an eagle, and the body of a lion, this was said to be the most powerful animal in the world. That power comes from the lion’s status as king of the beasts, and the eagle’s status as king of the birds.

Again, the coins are available in 1 oz and ¼ oz pure gold, as well as the 2 oz silver version. Design specifics for this release include the following information:

On the reverse of the 2017 British Queen’s Beast Griffin Coin is the image of the Griffin, standing behind the shield of Edward III and clutching it with its two front claws. A Griffin is a mythical beast rumored to be the most powerful, possessing the body of a lion (king of beasts) and the head and wings of an eagle (king of the birds).

The obverse includes the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II as referenced above. Her Majesty ascended to the British throne in 1952 following the death of her father, the king. Her coronation ceremony was held in 1953 and included 10 plaster statues of Queen’s Beasts.

Purchasing Royal Mint Products on Silver.com

At Silver.com we make it easy for you to purchase the Royal Mint products you want from our catalog. Silver.com proudly accepts Visa and MasterCard credit and debit cards, with no minimum purchase price and a maximum of $5,000. PayPal fund transfers are our latest offering. In addition to a $0 minimum and a $60,000 maximum, PayPal transactions process instantly and enter the shipping queue immediately. Paper check payments have a similar $0 minimum and a $40,000 maximum, and while they take four to six business days to process, you’ll enjoy a 4% savings on your purchase price compared to credit/debit payments and PayPal transfers.

We also accept bank wire transfers. The minimum is higher at $2,000, but the $100,000 maximum makes it easier for you to invest in as much silver as you wish. Bank wire payments process instantly and enter our shipping queues immediately.

All Silver.com shipments are packaged in discreet boxes to protect the identity of your products during shipment. Packages are delivered via the United States Postal Service or UPS, and should they become lost or damaged, Silver.com will work to correct the situation. We can either start an insurance claim on your behalf to secure a refund of your money, or work with the carrier to track down your package.

If you have any questions about Royal Mint products, payment methods, or shipping options, please feel free to contact a Silver.com associate. Our team members are available on the phone during regular business hours at 888-989-7223, online using our website’s hosted live chat, or by submitting your questions to us in writing via email.